Today the beautiful Sticky is
demonstrating the dead lift. This
is an excellent exercise for the back of the body. I have drawn her using a barbell, but dumbbells also work.
With the barbell on the floor,
bend over and grip the bar. If you
are using a particularly heavy weight, you can make the grip easier by turning
one hand over. Keeping your spine
neutral and your knees straight (but not locked!), hinge upward until you are
standing erect. The barbell does
nothing: it is the “dead” part of
the dead lift, just hanging there at the end of your arms.
Speaking of arms, ideally you do
not let the weight of the barbell pull your shoulders toward the floor (that
pesky “keep your humeral heads centered” again!). You will want to keep your abs engaged throughout the
movement to protect your lower back.
Also, only lower as far as you can maintain the neutral spine. Lower back problems are NO FUN AT ALL
and so are NOT ALLOWED. You will
also perhaps notice that your hamstrings are tight when you do this. This is a good reminder to go stretch
after you are done.
Go play!
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